"For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life" - John 3:16
(KJV)

Just over 2000 years ago a saviour
was born, to bring hope to a broken world. God had a plan for his
people since the very creation of the earth, and it is this same
hope that we hold onto as we celebrate Christmas in Nauru in
2015.

In many respects, Nauru represents
the struggles and victories of all of humanity. We have been
through events and wars that have almost destroyed us, been subject
to exploitation by governments and people, and seen times of
prosperity only to lose it through our own greed and selfishness.
Yet we have persevered; we have overcome. We are stronger today
than we have been in many years.

This is a credit to the Nauruan
people and to our faith in God and each other. It has been a great
honour to lead this nation over the past two and half years and
during this time I have seen a resolve across our land to be a
people of unity and love.

We have reached out to our visitors
from across the globe that came to us in detention but are now
living freely across our communities. This has not been without
challenges but we have held fast to our belief that love conquers
all.

Our Government is the first
government for many years that will serve a full term, and this has
brought great stability and prosperity to our people. We enter the
new year without the burden of the corruption and cronyism we have
seen in the past, which brought such destruction on our
nation.

We are a more prosperous people and
a prouder nation now than when this year commenced, and my - and
the Government's - goal is to continue along the road to greater
nation-building and higher personal wealth for every
Nauruan.

We have withstood political pressure
from some within our country who seek to take us backwards and put
their thirst for personal power and wealth before the good of
Nauru. We have taken bold steps to reform our systems of government
and strengthen our democracy despite the lies spread by some
foreign media like the ABC, who refuse to recognise the advances we
are making and continue their dishonest political campaign of
attempting to influence Nauru's domestic
politics.

I am encouraged by the great support
our Government has received from the people of Nauru, who know the
truth and refuse to believe these lies. I am approached daily by
many who urge us to continue on our current course of building a
nation that respects women and children, stands against immorality
and injustice, and genuinely works to improve the daily lives of
all Nauruans without favour.

As we take time to rest and enjoy
family and celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ this
Christmas, let us enter the new year with great hope for the future
of our country.